By David Hench / Portland Press Herald, Maine
Wednesday, May 9, 2012 -
Wednesday, May 9, 2012 -
PORTLAND, Maine -- Police say that an Arundel man lifted his infant
son by the head and threw him into a chair three days before the boy
died, and that the state had been notified about injuries to another
child in that family.
Ethan Henderson, who was 2½ months old, died early Tuesday from brain injuries.
He had been abused previously, according to court documents, though
it’s not clear whether his injuries came to the attention of child
protective workers or whether there was any response.
Gordon Collins-Faunce, 23, is being held in the York County Jail in
lieu of $100,000 bail, charged with assaulting his son. The state
Attorney General’s Office will decide this week what new charges might
be brought in light of the baby’s death.
The charges could include manslaughter, which is criminal negligence
or recklessness that causes a death, or depraved indifference murder,
which is conduct "so heinous ... that it shows a total disregard for the
value of human life," said Deputy Attorney General William Stokes.
Ethan’s twin brother, Lucas, and his 3-year-old half sister have been
removed from their home at 521 Limerick Road. A family friend said
Tuesday that the children’s mother, Christina Henderson, 23, would
petition to have them returned, now that Collins-Faunce, her fiance, is
out of the house.
There are no accusations against Henderson in the court documents.
An affidavit prepared by Maine State Police Detective Lauren Edstrom
in support of Collins-Faunce’s arrest Sunday describes in stark detail
how he apparently lost control at home Saturday morning, squeezing the
child’s head and throwing him into a chair so hard that the infant’s
head snapped backward.
Collins-Faunce did not have to go to his job that morning as a
flagger on a road crew. Henderson woke just before 6 a.m. and fed Lucas.
Ethan was the smaller of the two boys and often ate less, she told
police.
When Henderson left for work at 9:30 a.m., Lucas was in a swing and
Ethan was in his crib. Collins-Faunce was using the computer in the
living room.
In an interview Sunday, Collins-Faunce told police that after
Henderson left for work, he went outside to smoke a cigarette. When he
returned, Ethan was crying, as was his half sister.
Collins-Faunce said he was frustrated and overwhelmed. "I was losing control," he said in the interview.
He picked the baby up off a floor mat by his head.
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